I finally finished my pallet wall. Here are some details.

I saw a pallet wall on pinterest a while back, and knew I wanted to try it out when I bought my first home. Well, we're moved in so I decided to give it a shot. I'm not the most handy, and have never taken on a DIY project before this one.

I started by asking permission to take skids from local retailers. Most had no problem as long as I didnt take CHEP or SAPUTO pallets that they have a paid return for. I needed about 15 pallets to finish the wall and I chose them based on quality of the wood and whether or not they had been chemically treated. I also wanted different types of wood to add character to the wall.

After I collected them, it was time to break them down. I started by trying to pry them, which wasnt cool. It took forever and I broke a lot of boards. I had an old sawzall kicking around and it sped up the process big time. Each pallet took 3-5 minutes to break down this way.

Next I had to sand them. I used an orbital sander with 220 grit paper to sand the boards. Pretty self explanatory.

Up next was staining. I debated getting different stains, but decided on Minwax Special Walnut. I wanted different colours on the boards and knew that the different woods would take the stain differently, but one thing I didnt do was stir the stain. I did this on purpose so the stain got gradually darker as I went through it.

Next I painted the wall black so that any flaws wouldnt show through. Trust me, there are lots of them. I marked the studs using a studfinder to install the boards.

I used simple 2 inch wood nails to hang the boards and went back and forth from each side of the wall, starting from the top. I saved pieces that needed additional cutting until the end.

Extending the outlets, I bought 2 galvanized extension boxes which were simple to install. I taped the outsides, since I'm not an electrician and wanted to be safe. Remember to cut the power before working with electricity.

Finally, I trimmed the outsides with additional pallet wood to hide flaws at the side and add a more finished look to the project. I'm super happy with the way it turned out. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Now I'm just waiting for a TV to go on sale.